My chaeto should grow but isn't- what gives?

[Megatrev62]

By all accounts I have what it takes to grow chaeto. Have a 2.5 gallon fuge with a 23 watt cf bulb 6500k in a desk lamp- new bulb.

Nitrate 10ppm. All parameters are good. Why does it die? Thanks

[stingythingy45]

I've had chaeto growing for years now.
I would have to say the 2.5 gallons of refugium has something to do with it.
Even thought the light is only a 23 watt.That still adds up to over 9 watts a gallon for lighting.

[Megatrev62]

So what are you saying? Too much light? This is a cf light 23 watt=100watt. Tons of people use it. There has to be more to it.

[stingythingy45]

So what are you saying? Too much light? This is a cf light 23 watt=100watt. Tons of people use it. There has to be more to it.

Does it turn white?
Yes lots of people use it.I use the 6500 K "daylight" 65 watt equivalent over my 20 long refugium.I have a glass cover over my refugium that often gets salt creep blocking the light.And I've given lots of chaeto away.
My flow through there is only 30 gph.
Reverse lighting schedule.

[thegrun]

If the cheato is under a few inches of water, I would suggest raising it up either on live rock or egg crate so that it is close to the surface. I went a long time without much growth when I first set up a refugium until I raised the cheato up to the surface, now it grows like a weed.

[Megatrev62]

Thanks chaeto is at the surface. No go. White and then cyano etc,etc. Brutal.

[sasharotty]

If the cheato is under a few inches of water, I would suggest raising it up either on live rock or egg crate so that it is close to the surface. I went a long time without much growth when I first set up a refugium until I raised the cheato up to the surface, now it grows like a weed.

I agree with this.I used a 50 gallon as a fuge with a deep sand bed and chaeto.The chaeto kept dying off until i did just this, ended up making a platform out of eggcrate and pvc.After that i was pruning quite often and no additional die off.But being only 2.5 gallons shouldnt make a difference, what kind of flow do you have through it?How often do you light it, 24 hr, reverse or timed? Do you use gfo?

[Megatrev62]

Dont use gfo. Lit 24/7 used to be reverse but still died. Flow is minimal. Have a maxi-jet 600 hooked up turned down for low flow.

[sasharotty]

How big is the ball of chaeto. Maybe try to have it tumble around or turn it every few days.

[Megatrev62]

As big as the average fist. Heard about the tumbling but I don't really see that being the problem. Thanks

[Megatrev62]

So nothing to conclude this up? Light is good-no growth.

[wmdick_2007]

I have so much other growth, Algae on the rocks, red-sea weed, and other things, I can't keep Chaeto alive either ---> I look at it as a good sign !

[Megatrev62]

I have so much other growth, Algae on the rocks, red-sea weed, and other things, I can't keep Chaeto alive either ---> I look at it as a good sign !

Thanks for the confidence!!!:D

[SushiGirl]

Turning it over and spreading it out a bit is important for all parts of it to get light. If it's in a tight ball and you don't spread it out, and you don't tumble it or turn it over every couple of days, the parts that don't get light are going to die off.

[droth335]

Thanks chaeto is at the surface. No go. White and then cyano etc,etc. Brutal.

Are you saying you have (or recently had cyano)? If so, I think that might be the culprit. I read about this and experienced it first hand when I had a bout of cyano that the chaeto stopped growing until well after the cyano was gone....

[WhoDey64]

My cheato is about 20" down (sits on the bottom of the refuge), lighting is a 38w CFL and I get no growth. Going to move it up on a sheet of eggcrate to see if it does any better.

[wmdick_2007]

My cheato is about 20" down (sits on the bottom of the refuge), lighting is a 38w CFL and I get no growth. Going to move it up on a sheet of eggcrate to see if it does any better.

I use a 6500-K 26W=100W CFL bulb in my sump --- get 2 of these at Wal-Mart for $6 and some change. They are all over the house now --- getting older eyes need more light !

[biecacka]

i cant find the 6500k bulbs anywhere. is kelvin different than lumens?

[wmdick_2007]

http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Aquarium_Lighting.html

You can look at that and google a little. Kelvin is the color or temperature of the light, wavelength, blue thru red. Lumens is light output, the total amount.

I buy the GE Helical standard screw in base and use a clamp on fixture attached to my sump pipes.

[biecacka]

wmdick, thanks! thats what i thought too but i dont see on the boxes at my local stores the kelvin i just see the lumen. maybe i need to look closer but i thought i was looking in the right areas
corey

[Megatrev62]

Are you saying you have (or recently had cyano)? If so, I think that might be the culprit. I read about this and experienced it first hand when I had a bout of cyano that the chaeto stopped growing until well after the cyano was gone....

Have had cyano in the fuge which coincided with the suffering chaeto. No cyano now but when the chaeto dies or dying I see this white - brown gunk around it. The tank has never had cyano since I set it up- no algae either. Have coraline growing good. But trates remain at 10-15ppm. The chaeto is dying and adding nutrients to the tank. I will be trying caleurpa next but I'll prune it regularly. The caleurpa will grow much better I'm sure of that!!!!

[PerezAF01]

I had the same problem until I upgraded my refugium and added a stronger light. In my case I think it was lack of water flow and not enough light. Cyano seems to grow in areas of low flow. I went to lowes and purchased a 6500K daylight bulb equivalent to 100W. 2 months later I am out of space in my fuge. If your having trouble finding the bulb, just look for the work "daylight". They are all 6500K. Best of luck!

[Megatrev62]

Thanks but that is the bulb I have on the fuge- no chaeto growth

[Megatrev62]

I had the same problem until I upgraded my refugium and added a stronger light. In my case I think it was lack of water flow and not enough light. Cyano seems to grow in areas of low flow. I went to lowes and purchased a 6500K daylight bulb equivalent to 100W. 2 months later I am out of space in my fuge. If your having trouble finding the bulb, just look for the work "daylight". They are all 6500K. Best of luck!

I'm assuming the same. 23 watt= 100 watts. Correct?

[PerezAF01]

Yes thats the one I have. Flourescent spiral type.

[Megatrev62]

Could it be this chaeto was not good to begin with? There has to be plenty of light as it's only lighting a very small area.

[dzhuo]

Most cases with slow or no chaeto grow isn't due to lighting. Given enough nutrient, chaeto grows pretty much on all reasonable lights (as you properly know by now). The most likely cause is there isn't enough nutrient to sustain chaeto grow or other algae have outcompeted the chaeto. John at reefcleaners.org has explained this much better than I can. Basically, John categories some of the commonly seen macros into 3 categories:

1. Consistent Macros - Macros that needs high level of nutrient at all time in order to grow properly. Without this high level of nutrient, they slowly perish.
2. Pulse Macros - Macros that could survice low level of nutrient for a long time and will retain growing when the nutrient level goes back up.
3. Middle of the Road Macros - Macros that simply falls somewhere in between of these 2 extrems.

Chaeto falls into the consistent macros category and without a fairly high level of nutrient, it simply can't grow. The article is here: Macro Algae in the Sump/Refugium (http://reefcleaners.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=50&Itemid=75). Have you try a different macro to see if it will grow better? Or are there lots of micro algae that outcompete the chaeto?

[Megatrev62]

Thanks for this info. I did have some caulerpa weeks ago that was combined with chaeto I was given from a LFS. It seemed to grow really well but the chaeto died. Same light I'm using now, but when I read about the caulerpa going sexual, I removed it. I'm thinking I'm going to get more of it and give it a go. Pruning it seems important.

I have no algae in the aquarium aside from the coraline growth which is coming on fast and furious, faster than I'd like really. Same thing in the fuge- no cyano-which I did have at one point but only in the fuge? What do you think of going with the caulerpa exclusively? Thanks

[nicfo25]

Turning it over and spreading it out a bit is important for all parts of it to get light. If it's in a tight ball and you don't spread it out, and you don't tumble it or turn it over every couple of days, the parts that don't get light are going to die off.

I am not sure if this is true... My fuge is about 13 inches high and the cheato that is down a couple inches and all the way to the bottom grows way better. It seems like the top couple inches is lighter and the rest that is shaded by the top is dark green and very healthy. Just my experience.

[hardimanm]

I find that chaeto grows inward then spreads. Mine starts to get dense before it spreads in diameter